


Another One Bites the Dust

by merlin_the_dragonlord



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fusion, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Romance, Slayer!Arthur, Vampires, Watcher!Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-03 07:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4092310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlin_the_dragonlord/pseuds/merlin_the_dragonlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The vampires have kidnapped Merlin. It's up to Arthur to retrieve his precious watcher. </p>
<p>Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU with slayer!Arthur and watcher!Merlin</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another One Bites the Dust

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU with Arthur as a slayer and Merlin as his watcher. I ignored some of the universe aspects to fit my own needs. 
> 
> Beta'd by my friend Libby (who does not have an AO3 account), much thanks to her! 
> 
> This was intended to be a scene in a longer story, but I decided that this could stand alone and that hopefully I'm creative enough that I wouldn't need this scene. 
> 
> Based off of the episodes Becoming (S2E21/22)

“So we meet again, slayer…” The blonde vampire bared her fangs as she snarled out at Arthur Pendragon. He grasped his sword firmly in his hand, aware of the vampires circling around them, waiting for a moment to strike.

“What have you done with my watcher?” He demanded. “Morgause, I swear, if you hurt him…”

“Oh, your darling little bird is fine. We just need him to tell us the ritual to release the Dorocha.” Her phone beeped and a smile spread across her face. “And I do believe that the key to breaking your pet has arrived. So long, dearie.” Before Arthur could lunge forward, Morgause had already leapt and knocked him aside. The moment his head collided with the concrete ground, his vision blacked out for a second, but it was long enough for the vampires to flee. Scrambling up, Arthur grabbed his sword and started running in the same direction Morgause had. It was time to get his watcher back.

* * *

 “Now, now, Mr. Emrys… We don’t want to make this any harder than it already is, do we?” Cenred ran a finger down Merlin’s cheek, soaked with sweat. “Or do we need to do this the hard way?”

The handcuffs clattered as Merlin struggled in his bonds, ignoring the painful sting of the cold iron. He had tried many times to access his magic, but the iron prevented that. He looked up at Cenred with a defiant glare. “You’ll never get away with this. Arthur will find me.”  

“Au contraire, darling.” A cruel voice laughed from the doorway and Morgause stepped out of the shadows, deadly grace in the red velvet dress she wore. Behind her, a tall, slender brunette followed, also dressed in red. “I took care of your slayer.” At that, Merlin started struggling more.

The other female vampire strode forward to stop in front of the watcher. “He has power.” She leaned down and sniffed at the expanse of Merlin’s neck. “Lots of it.”

“He is a dragonlord and of the Emrys line.” Cenred snickered. “To say that he has power is an understatement. It’s nice to see you again, Lady Nimueh.” He said calmly, not looking up to acknowledge her.

“Likewise.” She stared at Merlin before stepping back. “Open your mind to me, dear Merlin…” A pointed fingernail rested on the warlock’s forehead. “Let me in…”

Merlin shut his eyes, wrinkles forming in his forehead. Nimueh’s frown grew pronounced and she pressed down a little. A drop of blood welled up and Merlin gasped. Nimueh stepped back, a content smile now on her face and she turned to Morgause and Cenred. “I know exactly what to do.” She closed her eyes and raised her hands to bracket Merlin’s face. “Merlin, darling…” She purred.

To Morgause and Cenred, it seemed as if she were flirting with the warlock, but they knew better. This was, after all, her specialty. To break and bend people to her will with her illusions and cunning. Merlin opened his eyes and blinked a few times, his mind trying to process what he was seeing. Freya was standing in front of him, but…

“You’re dead.” His voice was confused and dazed. “You’re not my Freya.”

“Shh, shh, shh…. Merlin, I need to stop Morgause and Cenred. I need to know what the ritual is to summon the Dorocha.” Freya leaned down and stared intensely into his eyes. “Just tell me… and we can be together…”  
“But Arthur… He…” Merlin shook his head. “You can’t be real. Arthur killed you.”

Nimueh growled and stood back. “This isn’t going to work… But…” Realization dawned on her face. “Of course.” She closed her eyes again and Morgause shuddered as she felt a very visceral shift in the reality around them. “There, this face should be more pleasing to him.” She leaned forward again and placed a hand on his cheek. “Merlin?”

This time, Arthur was standing in front of him. “Arthur?” He jolted up. “Arthur, you have to get out of here- Morgause and Cenred and and…”

“Shh, shh…” Arthur placed a finger on Merlin’s lips. “It’s okay, Merlin. I’ve got a plan. But you have to tell me the ritual to release the Dorocha so I can stop them.”

“… Blood sacrifice.” He trembled. “Arthur… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s all right, Merlin. My darling.” Arthur leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to Merlin’s lips. “I love you, sweetheart.” He stood. “Rest now.” With those words, Merlin allowed himself to succumb to the darkness.

* * *

Arthur wasted no time in running into the mansion that the vampires had been using as a hideout. There were footsteps behind him and he turned around, brandishing his sword. He lowered it when he realized who it was. “Morgana, I don’t have time.” He said in exasperation. His sister was a powerful sorceress in her own right, no where near Merlin’s mastery of the craft, but her Sight had helped them out many times before. In contrast to Merlin’s inability to do anything physical beyond smacking people with his staff, she had martial arts training and was a proficient markswoman, having crafted her own weapon that she took out on any hunting ventures. The crossbow that she hoisted on her shoulder was fashioned to fire stakes instead of arrows.

“No, you don’t have backup. That’s why I’m here.” She strode forward. “Let’s go.”

“No, Morgana, you’ll get yourself-“

“If you say killed, Arthur Pendragon, I will stake you myself.” She shot back. “We don’t have time, they’ll release the Dorocha and Merlin will be dead. Let’s go.”

At that, Arthur shot into action, but not before muttering a few insults about stupid sisters. He ran after Morgana, who, despite all of his complaints, was still wearing killer high heels because ‘you may be the Slayer, Arthur, but when it comes to fashion, I’m the slayer’, as she so charmingly put it. She stuck true to her word, wearing heels that made her stand at the same height as Arthur and skinny jeans so tight that he had to wonder how she squeezed into them. Her low-cut, blue lacy top accentuated her impressive cleavage and her long glossy hair was pulled back in a braid and pinned up. Despite that, Arthur had to admit that she could handle herself against the vampires.

The two of them had been very close growing up, but she had never taken any interest in the world of hunting. She did take pleasure in kicking Arthur’s ass, though, so as a result, she trained hard. Arthur had always minded his own business as well, considering Morgana as nothing more than an annoyance as he focused on his own training, but he took more notice when he and Merlin had found her unconscious in an alleyway with a vampire over her, readying for the kill. During the ensuing fight, Morgana had woken up and was momentarily confused, but instead of running away, she stood her ground and was the one to stake the vampire, saving Arthur’s life in the process. From then on, they trained together and their relationship had only strengthened as a result.

They burst into the chamber as Morgause had raised the hilt of the sword above her head, an unconscious Merlin on the slab of stone in front of her. “No!” Arthur shouted, rushing forward and catching the blonde by surprise. Morgana already had her crossbow up and aimed at Cenred when he lunged at her. Her first shot hit its mark, and Cenred exploded in a shower of dust. One of his minions attacked her from behind, grabbing her with one broad arm across her chest, pinning her to his body. She flailed, unable to escape the inhuman strength of the vampire, but the moment she got her feet to the ground, she threw her weight forward and used her magic to propel her captor forward over her shoulder. She followed that with a stake to the heart.

Arthur was in the middle of a swordfight with Morgause, and it seemed that the vampire was slowly gaining the upper hand. Morgana aimed her crossbow in the general vicinity of Morgause, but didn’t fire, for fear of hitting Arthur if she didn’t have a clear shot.

Luckily, her brother knew her tricks and he managed to get close enough to Morgause to shove her backwards. The blonde snarled before throwing herself at the statue that housed the portal that would unleash the Dorocha.  
“Morgana!” Before the vampire could do anything, Morgana had already fired off a stake that hit the blonde in the heart. Morgause screamed, an unearthly sound that resonated through the marble room, before she exploded into dust.

With no time to rejoice, Arthur ran to Merlin’s side and lifted the slighter male into his arms. “I’ve got you, Merlin…” He turned to Morgana. “We need to get him to Gaius.”

She nodded, her face pale and she pulled out her cell phone and dialed. She began talking rapidly, but Arthur ignored her, cradling Merlin closer to him as he left the mansion to walk to his car. He maneuvered Merlin into the backseat and closed the door just as Morgana walked out. “Gaius said to bring Merlin to ours. He’ll take care of him there.”

Arthur nodded and slid into the driver’s seat. “Get in, Morgana.” The moment the car door shut, he drove off to his house.

* * *

Merlin lay shirtless on Arthur’s bed as the elder Healer applied some tincture to the cuts on his torso. Seeing the blood and bruises that laced the pale warlock enraged Arthur and it took everything in him to not to go on a slaying rampage. “Will he be okay, Gaius?” Arthur demanded impatiently.

Gaius gave him a glance before resuming his treatment. “Physically yes. But I cannot hope to imagine his mental state, particularly if they put cold iron cuffs on him. We can only wait now.”

Arthur frowned but nodded. That didn’t mean that he liked it.

“Arthur? Morgana?” Arthur’s father knocked at the door before coming in, without waiting for permission. “Why is Gaius’ car in the driveway and why is Amelia complaining about the bloodstains-“ He stopped before he took in the sight of Merlin lying on the bed and Gaius standing over him. “What is going on here?”

“Father, I can explain.”

“You damn well will.” Uther shut the door behind him as he strode over to the bed. Arthur moved to stand in between his father and Merlin. “Arthur, what happened?” His face softened, but there was still clearly fear in his eyes.

Arthur never understood why Uther was so against him being a slayer. After all, his mother was one of the most renowned slayers in the world until she was taken out of commission with an autoimmune disease and was forced to give up her livelihood. She had been depressed by the idea of having to remain out of the life, having been immersed in it for so long. Her Watcher, Arthur’s father, had brought her out of that depression and stood by her during her recovery. The two fell in love and married. “Merlin was injured in a fight.” Arthur said softly, staring at his watcher’s face. “It was my fault.”

“Arthur, it’s not-“ Morgana started, but Arthur shook his head.

“If I hadn’t been so engrossed with revenge on Morgause, I wouldn’t have left Merlin unprotected.”

“Arthur, they came with an army. There was no way you could have protected all of us.” In the car, she had explained how the vampires had gotten a hold onto Merlin, after Arthur had left them in the school library to go after Morgause. Cenred had taken advantage of the Slayer’s absence and infiltrated the library with a small army of vampires and once Merlin had discovered whom they were after, the idiot had sacrificed himself to protect the others. They had locked Gwen, Lance, Gwaine, and Morgana in the small backroom, but Morgana had blasted the door off the hinges with her magic and gone after them, telling the others to go find Kilgharrah, the librarian. Kilgharrah had a powerful grasp on magic and infinite knowledge of the lore of the supernatural and was a valuable ally to their group of friends.

“I would have tried.” Arthur muttered rebelliously.

Uther sighed and shook his head. Despite his dislike of Arthur’s chosen path, he had accepted it after seeing how passionate his son was. He could also easily see the bond between his son and his Watcher and even though it pained him, he would not inflict the same pain on Arthur that he felt when his beloved slayer died. “I see. It was nice seeing you, Gaius. I’ll leave you be.” He nodded before turning and walked out of the room.

Gaius finished wrapping the bandage on Merlin’s arm before he turned to Arthur. “I’ve done all I can. Let me see your injury, Arthur.” Arthur sighed before stripping his shirt off and presenting his arm to Gaius.

Morgana had left to talk to her boyfriend on the phone, who had been at the library with her and Merlin when they were attacked. As Gaius applied ointment to prevent infection and began wrapping his injury in a bandage, Arthur voiced a question that had been plaguing him since the first time Merlin was injured in a fight. “Gaius, what happens… if my watcher dies?”

“Well… the Council would assign you another Watcher.” Gaius said slowly. “I wouldn’t be too worried about Merlin dying. He’s rather resilient, this one.” He smiled down at Merlin.

“Don’t I know it.” Arthur replied fondly. “Don’t I know it.”

Gaius left after he finished bandaging Arthur, handing him some pain pills with instructions to call him after Merlin woke up. Arthur nodded before he crawled into the bed on the other side of Merlin. He stared at his Watcher and caressed his cheek before exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep.

* * *

 

“Arthur? Arthur?” The blond started awake and reached out to grab whoever was shaking him awake. A small cry of pain reminded him that Merlin had been here with him and he released him immediately and began apologizing. Merlin shook his head. “Arthur, where am I? You… you can’t be real. Where’s Nimueh? What magic has she cast on me now?” He sounded anxious and his breathing became quickly, almost dangerously so.

“Merlin. Merlin, calm down.” Arthur reached out his hands and rested them on Merlin’s shoulders. The raven-head stiffened before Arthur could realize his mistake and with a flash of gold, Arthur was pinned against the wall and immobilized.

“Why are you doing this, Nimueh? Where is Arthur?” Merlin stood up shakily, his hand outstretched, eyes blazing gold.

“Merlin, it’s me. Merlin!” Arthur struggled a little in his bonds, trying to put all conviction into his voice.

“No, you can’t be… I…” Merlin blinked a few times and shook his head rapidly, as if trying to throw off his dizziness.

“Merlin, you’re not well, you must rest!” Arthur shouted. The door burst open and Morgana burst in with a dagger in her hand. “Morgana, don’t!”

But his warning came too late, Merlin had thrown his other hand out and she was similarly pinned to the wall. “Why are you doing this, Nimueh?” He demanded.

“Merlin, what are you talking about?” Morgana pulled at the invisible bonds keeping her still, but to no avail.

“If… If you are the real Arthur… Tell me something only he would know.” Merlin demanded, his eyes wide in fear.

Arthur racked his brain for something. “Remember… Remember what you said to me after we went through the Labyrinth of Gedref?” Arthur said quickly. “You told me that you would always be around to protect me, until the day you died. And I told you that you were an idiot and that you wouldn’t die before me.”

Merlin stared at Arthur for a few seconds, before his hands came down to his sides. The magical bonds released on Arthur and Morgana and they fell to the ground.

“Arthur…?” Footsteps approached Arthur and he looked up to see Merlin slowly stepping towards him, hesitation with each step. Arthur surged upwards and pulled Merlin into a hug.

“Gods, I thought I had lost you.” The younger male slumped against his Slayer.

“What… happened?” Blood pounded through his head and he clenched his eyes shut.

“You should rest.” Arthur maneuvered Merlin to the bed, and Morgana took a seat on the edge of the bed. Arthur sat next to her and began explaining the events of the night.

After he finished explaining, Merlin remained silent. “Arthur, was there another vampire there?” He asked quietly after a few seconds. “She’s tall, brunette, very pretty? Goes by the name of Nimueh…”

Morgana stifled a gasp and Arthur turned to look at her. “Morgana?” He had no idea who Nimueh was, but clearly Morgana did.

Shaking her head, she stood. “No, Merlin, she wasn’t there. She must have escaped after we got there.” Her lips twitched into a grimace. “If Nimueh is involved, we might be in trouble.” She began pacing. “I’ll go call Gaius and Kilgharrah.” In his excitement, Arthur had forgotten about his promise to call Gaius once Merlin woke up but he nodded.

Merlin sat in silence for a few moments. “I’m sorry, Arthur.” He said quietly.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” There was movement next to him and Merlin looked over to see Arthur leaning against the headboard next to him. “This wasn’t your fault.” He took Merlin’s hand. “I’m glad you’re okay, Merlin. I don’t know what I would do without my idiot of a watcher.”

“And I don’t know what I would do without my prat of a slayer.” The sorcerer shot back playfully and poked Arthur in the stomach. “Heaven knows how much weight you would gain if I left you to your own devices.”

“I’m fighting fit!” In a swift movement, Arthur had Merlin in a gentle headlock. He flailed and pushed at Arthur, but after a few seconds, he released Merlin. They stared at each other and Arthur’s grin faded. “Merlin…” There was fear and uncertainty in Merlin’s eyes and Arthur couldn’t bear to see such emotions on Merlin’s expressive face. He leaned forward and kissed Merlin gently, bringing his hand up to place on his cheek. Merlin kissed back softly and Arthur broke the kiss to place his forehead against his watcher’s. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” He said quietly.

“This isn’t just a dream, right?” Merlin’s voice was filled with sadness, but there was hope in his voice.

“If it is, I don’t want to wake up.” Arthur replied, running his thumb gently over Merlin’s cheek. “I was so scared I lost you.”

“I’m sorry.” Merlin replied softly. As soon as those words left his mouth, he found Arthur pressing another kiss to his lips.

“Don’t apologize.” Arthur sounded wretched and he drew back. “Just promise me you won’t be stupid.”

“No guarantees.” Merlin replied, a grin on his face. “After all, you’re my slayer. I’d follow you to the ends of the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please review and leave kudos! And if you're interested to see more of my shenanigans, my tumblr is merlin-the-dragonlord.tumblr.com, so check me out there!


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